This is the first picture of a nursery school worker murdered alongside her father in a double killing at his home in south London.
The bodies of Marie Brown, 41, and Noel Brown, 69 were found when police officers forced their way into Mr Brown’s Deptford flat in the early hours yesterday after a tip-off.
Mr Brown was a regular customer at betting shops close to his home in New Butt Lane and detectives are reportedly investigating whether he was targeted over a big gambling win.
It is claimed Ms Brown may have disturbed the robbers when she went to visit her father over the weekend after neighbours expressed concerns for his welfare.
She lived in Peckham and worked as a crèche leader at a primary school in nearby Nunhead.
A close family friend today paid tribute to the murdered pair, describing them as “a lovely, caring family”.
The woman, who asked not to be named, said Ms Brown had two daughters, one with autism, aged nine, and another aged 18.
She told the Standard: “The little one said to me ‘Who is going to be my mother now?’ It’s heartbreaking. We have no idea how this can have happened.
“They were never in any trouble, just a decent family who no one had a bad word to say about. Marie was just a lovely person, they both were. The most caring people you could meet.”
The friend, who had known Mr Brown for nine years said he loved Jamaican reggae and wrote poetry.
“I considered him my best friend. I did shopping for him, he was a lovely, humble, wise man. He loved music and poetry. He loved football and supported Tottenham.
“He spent his days in the bookies but never win big as far as I knew. He was a private person who adored his family.”
A cordon remained in place around the crime scene today as detectives trawled for clues.
Detectives today said they would like to speak to anyone who saw Mr Brown in the past seven days, “especially if he was in the company of people with whom he didn’t normally associate”.
Shocked residents on the estate today described hearing “petrified” screams at 2.45am yesterday.
A neighbour said: “I heard someone trying to kick a door in, There was a solid bash, bash, bash for three or four minutes. There was an argument with raised voices. It was quite frightening.”
Detectives have not revealed the nature of the Browns’ injuries or how long they believe the bodies were in the house before they were found.
A post-mortem examination is due to be held to establish the exact cause of death. No arrests have been made.
Detective Chief Inspector Simon Harding said: “I urgently need the public’s help to establish the last movements of both Noel Brown and Marie Brown in the week before their deaths.
“Noel, in particular, was well known in the area, and he frequently used local betting shops.”
Anyone with information should call 020 8721 4205 or 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111
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